ODAC Players and Coaches Garner 23 Postseason Awards
SALEM, Va. --- Guilford College center Tyler
Sanborn increased his list of postseason honors to that of a full
catalog over the past week as the 2010 ODAC Player of the Year
headlines a group of nine ODAC men’s basketball
student-athletes and coaches that have earned a total of 23
different accolades. The recognition stems from three media
outlets including the National Association of Basketball Coaches
(NABC), D3hoops.com and Men’s DIII News.
Sanborn, who supplied Guilford with its third winner of the
ODAC’s top player award in the last four years, earned four
more best player distinctions following Guilford’s run to a
second straight NCAA Division III National Championship Series
appearance. Sanborn was tabbed the NABC District First Team
Player of the Year for the South Region, the D3hoops.com South
Region Player of the Year, and the DIII News Player of the
Year.
The capper to that list is his announcement as the NABC Player of
the Year, making Sanborn the second Quaker to win the award in four
years (Ben Strong in 2007) and third ODAC student-athlete to
receive the honor in the last five seasons (Virginia
Wesleyan’s Brandon Adair in 2006). He will receive his
award at the AT&T NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show on
Sunday, April 4, in Indianapolis. The event begins at 6:00
p.m. (EDT) at the Murat Theatre.
Sanborn earned first team honors on both the NABC district south
region and D3hoops.com south region lists, as well as on the NABC
All-America, D3hoops.com All-America and DIII News All-America
squads.
The 6’9” post added yet another honor from Salem, Va.,
as he earned a place on the 2010 NCAA Division III National
Championship Series All-Tournament Team. Sanborn ended his
senior campaign atop the ODAC in rebounding at 14.1 boards per game
and third in scoring at 19.8 points per game. Aside from
ranking third in the nation in rebounding, his .643 field goal
percentage sits ninth in the country. He collected 30
double-doubles in 33 games played, racking up one in each of five
NCAA tournament games. His numbers in the 2010 national
tourney improved from the regular season as he averaged 21.8 points
and 16.6 rebounds per game while shooting .647 from the field
(44-of-68) and .700 from the foul line (21-of-30). He scored
27 points and pulled down 14 rebounds in a loss to national
runner-up Williams College in the semifinals. That
performance was two games removed for a 21-point 23-rebound showing
in a win over the College of Wooster in the sectional round.
The only ODAC student-athlete on the three NABC All-America Teams,
Sanborn was joined by Eastern Mennonite University’s Todd
Phillips on the D3hoops.com All-America First Team. Phillips,
who also earned D3hoops.com South Region First Team and NABC South
Region Second Team honors, posted his best season to date in three
years in Harrisonburg. The junior wing ranked in the
ODAC’s top-10 in five major categories including scoring
(6th; 17.4 ppg), rebounding (4th; 7.3 rpg),
assists (10th; 3.1 apg), steals (3rd; 2.13
spg) and blocked shots (8th; 0.97 bpg). He
collected eight double-doubles, tied for second in the conference
with Washington and Lee University forward, Ben Goetsch.
Guilford’s Clay Henson also found his name in three
postseason awards directories. The senior shooter notched
DIII News All-America Third Team, NABC South Region First Team and
D3hoops.com South Region Second Team recognition. Henson
ended his 2010 season fifth in the ODAC in scoring at 17.8 points
per game. He was also #1 in three-point field goals made (98
for 2.97 per game) and assists-to-turnover ratio (1.84 a/to).
Henson took part in the first NABC Division III All-Star Game,
which preceded the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championship
Game on Saturday in Salem, Va. Henson poured in a game-high
35 points on 13-of-19 shooting (9-of-13 from 3pt), but his West
All-Stars fell to Sanborn’s East All-Stars, 109-107, in
overtime.
Virginia Wesleyan College guard Stephen Fields also participated in
the NABC All-Star Game, scoring three points and handing out three
assists to his West teammates. Fields earned a pair of
postseason honors as he was tabbed to the D3hoops.com South Region
First Team and NABC South Region Second Team. A member of the
All-ODAC First Team for the first time, Fields capped his four
years as a Marlin as the ODAC’s second-ranked scorer at 20.8
points per game.
Bridgewater College guard, Dominic Trawick, and Lynchburg College
point man, Steven Echols, were selected to the D3hoops.com South
Region First and Third Teams, respectively. Trawick led the
ODAC in scoring at 22.0 points per game to help secure his first
All-ODAC First Team nod. He was also second in steals (2.32
spg). Echols, also a first time All-ODAC First Team choice,
helped Lynchburg climb the ladder in the league standings as the
Hornets went from two to six conference wins and from four to 12
overall victories. Echols was fourth in the ODAC in scoring
at 18.3 points per game, but was #1 in the conference in assists
(4.63 apg), steals (3.52 spg) and minutes played (33.47 mpg).
DIII News also publishes a national All-Freshman Team.
Hampden-Sydney College forward, Harrison George, was named to that
squad after a solid rookie campaign for the Tigers. George
averaged 14 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, the latter ranking
sixth in the ODAC. He was also fifth in the league with a
.569 field goal shooting mark.
Eastern Mennonite head coach, Kirby Dean, and Randolph-Macon
College mentor, Nathan Davis, were also honored amongst the
ODAC’s award-winning contingent. Dean, the 2010 ODAC
Coach of the Year, was chosen as the NABC South Region Coach of the
Year. He led the Royals to a 25-5 overall record and 14-2
conference mark, securing the top seed in the ODAC
tournament. EMU, which finished the season ranked #4 by
D3hoops.com, earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The Royals fell to Guilford in the sectional finals (last eight),
one win short of a trip to Salem.
Davis, in his first year at the helm of his alma mater, was named
the D3hoops.com South Region Coach of the Year. He led the
Yellow Jackets all the way back to Salem in the NCAA Division III
National Championship Series. Randolph-Macon, which posted
26-7 overall mark and 11-5 league record, spent two weeks as the
country’s #1 rated team before finishing the season as the
fifth-ranked squad. R-MC saw its campaign come to a close in
the national semifinals as it fell to eventual D-III champion, the
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Below are links to each of the award lists mention above. For
more information, reference those lists or visit the websites of
any of the participating schools. You can also visit the ODAC
on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.
NABC
D-III All-America Teams
NABC
D-III All-District Teams
Official
NABC Release for Player of the Year
D3hoops.com
All-America Teams
D3hoops.com
All-Region Teams
DIII
News All-America Teams